how can i stop my horse getting burnt?

Question

my cob has a pink nose and he gets very badly burnt in the summer. i have tryed lots of normal sun lotions and i have tryed many hores sun blocks but they dont seem to be working i have also tryed a nose net but he continuasly broke his field safe headcollar. can anyone suggest a sun block that might help that dosnt cost the earth.

Answer 1

I have a grey with a completely pink nose it goes inside his nostrils and under his chin so I know how much of a nightmare sunburn is!!!!

The way I combatted the sunburn is to buy a childrens sunblock and to firstly apply it to the nose and rub it in so it dissapears and then apply another layer over the top and leave that to soak in before putting him out in the field. I always apply the priciple you get for humans to apply it at least 30 minutes before sun exposure. and apply again after about 4 hours at the most while the sun is out.

Another way I prevent sunburn is when I know the weather is going to be very hot to bring him in between the hours of 12 and 3 as in the UK this is when the weather is hottest this reduces the amount of exposure he receives.

you could also try bringing him in during the day and putting him out at night this is a real pain as during the summer most owners love to have abit more freedom from mucking out every day.

My horse got very badly burnt one summer when I left him in the hands of the yard owner who didn't follow my instrustions properly. since then at night or when my horse is in I apply a human mosturisor to try and keep him nose soft to try and prevent it cracking and blistering.

Hopefully if your from the UK we are not meant to get much sun the summer so it may not be a problem!! LOL

P.S. if your cob is anything like my horse its great fun applying the suncream.

If I apply it in the field halfway through the day it involves a chase and if I'm doing it in the stable I need to grow an extra few feet to reach the end of his nose as he hates it!!!!

Answer 2

Try using 100spf sunscreen, and every once in a while try going with out sunscreen just to get your skin used to the sun. I too have very sun sensitive skin, for me I don't get red but it hurts like hell (like hot oil on my skin) and my skin peels and cracks. For a long time my parents only got mad at me when I kept out of the sun, and dermatologists couldn't find out what was wrong. I started first by using the highest sunscreen at the time, which was 75spf then, and started using higher ones as they were developed. Now I use 100spf and after about a year I can finally go outside for a few minutes at a time. And with the sunscreen you are using, do you make sure its completely dried before you go into the sun? I've found that that is one of the reasons that my own sunscreen doesn't help sometimes. I hope this information has been helpful. And good luck :)

Answer 3

Hi i owned a cremello very nice markings BUT pink skin and when i first bought him he had a very burnt nose and was covered in worts as well .
First thing is to sew a flap of any suitable material uv resistant would be good, on the nose band of his halter just long enough to cover the top of his muzzle and
i use good old Zinc cream its cheep and it is thick and so stays on not like normal sun screens ,I use to put it all around his eyes and muzzel once a day and even after a days mustering he would still have zinc cream on and
no more sun burn .
It all so got rid of all the worts from around his muzzle .
Well i hope this helps, good luck

Answer 4

i think you have tried all the right things, some people will say don't use human sun blocks but i have always used them on my horses with no problems. the only thing i can say really is to apply more lotion more regulary, it will obviously get wiped off when your horse eats. try buying the highest factor sun block you can find, if this doesn't work then maybe it is a reaction to something else.
hope this is some use good luck.

Answer 5

I usually use the water babies spf 50 with bug repelent on my horses face, she has a white blaze. Remember when you feed the horse in the morning and at night you have to put the sunblock on. I do it after she eats so her food doesn't taste funny. My horses have lots of shade trees so I only do it 2 a day if the horse is in direct sunlight more then you will have to apply it more often, maybe 3 times a day.

Answer 6

hi i have the same problem and my mare reacts to some sun creams including human ones her nose net is great except like yours she keep breaking her field safe. I like nettex sun cream i find it really works is a good price and my horse doesn't react to it. so far so good i also like the gold label sun cream i had good results with that last year am trying the nettex one this year even though not much sun she burns. hope this is use-full. If you can't get either contact me and i will give you stockists. good luck

Answer 7

My mini palomino gets sun burn on her muzzle, so i apply coppertone sport sunscreen with a 30 spf. And I put a flymask on her that has a nose shield. The sport sunscreen is water proof and sweat proof, but grazing will wear it off, so if you can re-apply it often. Maybe you could also put up an inexpensive leanto or field shelter to give your horse shade (of course if you do, you and i both know he'll never use it). good luck.

Answer 8

I know this might not be a good solution, but one way to completely cut the sunburn is to turn the horse out at night.. overnight, and then leave it in during the day. I am doing this with my black yearling colt due to bleaching out of his coat.

When you ride/work the horse during the day, use regular sunblock that you have been using.

Just a suggestion.

Answer 9

As per other answer P20 is excellent you only apply once and it offers protection for the whole day. Takes 15 mins to bond then its safe to go out in the sun.

Answer 10

Is he getting alfalfa? That can increase sensitivity to the sun also. If that is the case, is there any grass hay around or alfalfa mix?

Here in WY there is very very little grass, only irrigated alfafa, so if you say no, I totally understand.

All the suggestions about sunblock I agree with :) Good luck!